The new Netflix Series Daybreak was just released on October 24, 2019 and is based on the comic book by Brian Ralph. The show depicts a world where nuclear weapons have wiped out most people over 18 and the ones that weren’t killed went crazy instead. Most of the focus is on a high school student named Josh and the problems he comes across in a world run by children. The show is mostly unknown actors and new faces but Matthew Broderick is a pretty big part of the show and it’s nice to see a familiar face on screen alongside all the ones you’ve never seen. So far there is only 1 season with 10 episodes and the show wraps up in a way that could either be the end of the story or the beginning of a much larger story.
The Good
There is a lot to like about Daybreak including an assortment of interesting characters and groups sorted by their high school stereotypes such as a gang of jocks or the Cheerazons , which are a group of cheerleaders but with that post apocalyptic twist. There are lots of characters that you just can’t help but root for including a gay, black self proclaimed samurai, a 10 year-old girl who is a genius and a sociopath and basically any other teenage stereotype you can think of.
The show is also pretty damn funny at times and was interesting enough that I binged it all in one day. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously and gives us a great comedic take on the end of the world, answering the question “What would happen if the world was run by teenagers?”, the answer being pretty much what you’d assume…they fuck it all up beyond belief.
The Bad
Although I did like the show a lot I feel as though the plot was rushed too much seeing it’s a series, I feel they could have explored the characters more and built a better foundation for a show that would last and have multiple seasons. It feels as though the writer’s tried for the first 5 episodes and then rushed to finish it in the next 5.
Another thing that really confused me about the show is that towards the end I found myself very annoyed by the main character Josh and it is clear that was not the show’s intentions and it’s not just him but another main character named Sam also ends up being quite annoying towards the end and these are basically the show’s 2 main characters. It was pretty odd to find myself rooting for the villains by the end of the show because I just couldn’t stand the “good” guys anymore.
Is It Worth Watching?
If you go into this series expecting a deep plot and a thought provoking exploration of the apocalypse you will be very disappointed but if you go into it expecting a kind of cheesy and goofy comedy and take it for what it is , it’s actually a pretty enjoyable show. Sometimes you just want to watch TV and not think at all and this show allows you to do both yet keeps you interested at the same time. I would recommend this show to pretty much anyone as it has a little bit of everything.
Check out the Graphic Novel here https://amzn.to/36hkAU7
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The Listerzine 
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